combler

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, from Latin cumulāre. Doublet of the borrowing cumuler.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔ̃.ble/
  • Audio(file)

Verb

combler

  1. to fulfil, satisfy
    • 2016, Gaël Faye, Petit Pays [Small Country]:
      Un rêve, ils en avaient eu un chacun, égoïste, et ils n’étaient pas prêts à combler les attentes de l’autre.
      Each one of them had a dream, a self-centred one, and they weren't willing to satisfy each other's expectations.
  2. (literal and figurative) to fill (add contents to, so it is full)
    • 1640, Pierre Corneille, Horace, act 2, scene 1:
      Ce choix pouvait combler trois familles de gloire / Consacrer hautement leurs noms à la mémoire
      This choice could fill three families with glory / Consecrate in high memory their names
  3. to fill (to install someone)
  4. to counter
  5. (sports) to deliver

Conjugation

Conjugation of combler (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple combler
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple comblant
/kɔ̃.blɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle comblé
/kɔ̃.ble/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present comble
/kɔ̃bl/ 		combles
/kɔ̃bl/ 		comble
/kɔ̃bl/ 		comblons
/kɔ̃.blɔ̃/ 		comblez
/kɔ̃.ble/ 		comblent
/kɔ̃bl/
imperfect comblais
/kɔ̃.blɛ/ 		comblais
/kɔ̃.blɛ/ 		comblait
/kɔ̃.blɛ/ 		comblions
/kɔ̃.bli.jɔ̃/ 		combliez
/kɔ̃.bli.je/ 		comblaient
/kɔ̃.blɛ/
past historic2 comblai
/kɔ̃.ble/ 		comblas
/kɔ̃.bla/ 		combla
/kɔ̃.bla/ 		comblâmes
/kɔ̃.blam/ 		comblâtes
/kɔ̃.blat/ 		comblèrent
/kɔ̃.blɛʁ/
future comblerai
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁe/ 		combleras
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁa/ 		comblera
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁa/ 		comblerons
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɔ̃/ 		comblerez
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁe/ 		combleront
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɔ̃/
conditional comblerais
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ 		comblerais
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ 		comblerait
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɛ/ 		comblerions
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		combleriez
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁje/ 		combleraient
/kɔ̃.blə.ʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present comble
/kɔ̃bl/ 		combles
/kɔ̃bl/ 		comble
/kɔ̃bl/ 		comblions
/kɔ̃.bli.jɔ̃/ 		combliez
/kɔ̃.bli.je/ 		comblent
/kɔ̃bl/
imperfect2 comblasse
/kɔ̃.blas/ 		comblasses
/kɔ̃.blas/ 		comblât
/kɔ̃.bla/ 		comblassions
/kɔ̃.bla.sjɔ̃/ 		comblassiez
/kɔ̃.bla.sje/ 		comblassent
/kɔ̃.blas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — comble
/kɔ̃bl/ 		— comblons
/kɔ̃.blɔ̃/ 		comblez
/kɔ̃.ble/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

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